Latest / The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson / Compare Smarter, Not Harder With Jennifer Ann Johnson
Transcript
- 0:37Jennifer Johnson: Today, we're diving into one of the most destructive habits that entrepreneurs struggle with comparing ourselves to others and how to transform this natural tendency from a source of pain into a powerful tool for growth.
- 0:51Jennifer Johnson: Let me paint a picture that I know will feel all too familiar to many of you.
- 0:56Jennifer Johnson: You're scrolling through LinkedIn and you see a post from someone in your industry announcing they just closed a huge deal.
- 1:03Jennifer Johnson: Your stomach drops a little bit.
- 1:05Jennifer Johnson: You're scrolling through Instagram.
- 1:07Jennifer Johnson: You see another entrepreneur who posted from their workation in Bali.
- 1:13Jennifer Johnson: Well, their business runs itself.
- 1:16Jennifer Johnson: So you feel inadequate.
- 1:18Jennifer Johnson: You check out a competitor's website and notice they have testimonials from clients you have been trying to get for months, and suddenly your own progress feels insignificant.
- 1:28Jennifer Johnson: Here's what happens next.
- 1:30Jennifer Johnson: You start questioning everything.
- 1:31Jennifer Johnson: Am I moving too slow?
- 1:33Jennifer Johnson: Am I thinking too small?
- 1:34Jennifer Johnson: Am I missing some secret that everybody else seems to know?
- 1:38Jennifer Johnson: That confidence that you had in your own path yesterday, it's gone.
- 1:42Jennifer Johnson: Replaced by doubt, frustration, and that nagging feeling that you're somehow falling behind in the race that you didn't even know you were running.
- 1:51Jennifer Johnson: I've been there, we've all been there.
- 1:53Jennifer Johnson: But here's what I've learned after all the years of letting comparison steal my joy and derail my focus.
- 1:58Jennifer Johnson: Comparison isn't the problem.
- 2:00Jennifer Johnson: The problem is how we're using comparison.
- 2:03Jennifer Johnson: When we compare destructively, it diminishes us.
- 2:07Jennifer Johnson: But when we compare strategically, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for growth, learning, and competitive advantage.
- 2:15Jennifer Johnson: So let's talk about that today.
- 2:17Jennifer Johnson: Let's talk about how to transform your relationship with comparison from something that holds you back to something that actually pushes you forward.
- 2:25Jennifer Johnson: Before we can transform our relationship with comparison, we need to understand why we do it in the first place.
- 2:31Jennifer Johnson: It's not a character flaw, it's a fundamental human tendency that served an important evolutionary purpose.
- 2:39Jennifer Johnson: Our ancestors survived by understanding their place in society and identifying who had resources and skills and advantages that they could learn from.
- 2:48Jennifer Johnson: Comparison was literally a survival tool.
- 2:51Jennifer Johnson: It helped people figure out what to learn, who to learn from, and who to align with, and what behaviors would lead to success in their environment.
- 3:02Jennifer Johnson: At its core, comparison is an information gathering activity.
- 3:06Jennifer Johnson: When you look at what others are doing, you're trying to understand the landscape and see opportunities and benchmark your own performance.
- 3:15Jennifer Johnson: It's actually a valuable market research tool when done thoughtfully.
- 3:20Jennifer Johnson: The issue arises when we move from gathering the information to making judgments about our own worth and capabilities based on limited and often misleading data about others.
- 3:31Jennifer Johnson: Comparison can be a very powerful motivator.
- 3:35Jennifer Johnson: Seeing what other people have achieved can inspire us to raise our own standards, pursue bigger goals, and push beyond our comfort zone.
- 3:43Jennifer Johnson: Many entrepreneurs credit seeing what's possible by observing others as a key factor in why they're successful.
- 3:52Jennifer Johnson: Now, it can be useful, but most of us have experienced its destructive side.
- 3:58Jennifer Johnson: And understanding these patterns and is really what helps us recognize when we're comparing ourselves in a way that's going to hurt us versus make us better.
- 4:08Jennifer Johnson: The biggest issue with the modern comparison is that we're usually comparing our behind-the-scenes reality with others' high others' highlights real, highlight real.
- 4:18Jennifer Johnson: You know, seeing people on Facebook showing only their best.
- 4:23Jennifer Johnson: When you see somebody posting about their latest win, and you're not seeing the months and years of rejection that preceded it, that's when we fall into that trap.
- 4:34Jennifer Johnson: I remember seeing a competitor's post about landing a major speaking opportunity that I had wanted myself.
- 4:41Jennifer Johnson: My immediate reaction was to feel like I was failing because that wasn't me.
- 4:45Jennifer Johnson: What I didn't know until months later was that they had been pursuing them for over two years.
- 4:51Jennifer Johnson: They modified everything that they were doing to try to get the contract.
- 4:56Jennifer Johnson: That overnight success that I was uh comparing myself to was actually the result of strategic pivots that they made along the way and years of them.
- 5:09Jennifer Johnson: So destructive comparison often stems from scarcity, that scarcity mindset, the belief that there's only so much success to go around.
- 7:44Jennifer Johnson: So if somebody else is winning, that means that I'm going to lose.
- 7:48Jennifer Johnson: That could not be further from the truth.
- 7:50Jennifer Johnson: The another destructive pattern that we see consistently is moving your definition of success.
- 7:57Jennifer Johnson: So it's like a you're moving the goalpost, you're moving that target.
- 8:01Jennifer Johnson: So let's say you set your goal for 100,000, but then you see someone else at 500, and suddenly your 100,000 goal doesn't seem big enough, so you move it to 500,000.
- 8:12Jennifer Johnson: But you can see how moving that consistently, you can never keep up.
- 8:18Jennifer Johnson: Sometimes seeing what others have achieved can be so overwhelming it leads to paralysis rather than motivation.
- 8:24Jennifer Johnson: You see someone who's so far ahead that you convince yourself that there's no point in training.
- 8:29Jennifer Johnson: Or you see so many different approaches that lead to that success that you can't decide what path to take.
- 8:35Jennifer Johnson: The goal isn't to stop comparing altogether.
- 8:38Jennifer Johnson: That's not realistic and it's not helpful.
- 8:41Jennifer Johnson: Instead, the goal is to compare strategically in ways that provide useful information and motivation without undermining your confidence or derailing your focus.
- 8:51Jennifer Johnson: Instead of just looking at what others have achieved, focus on understanding how they got there.
- 8:56Jennifer Johnson: What strategies did they use?
- 8:58Jennifer Johnson: What skills did they develop, and what choices did they make along the way?
- 9:02Jennifer Johnson: And really, how long did it take them to get there?
- 9:05Jennifer Johnson: Approach comparison with curiosity instead of judgment.
- 9:09Jennifer Johnson: Instead of asking, why am I not as successful as them?
- 9:12Jennifer Johnson: Ask what can I learn from their approach?
- 9:14Jennifer Johnson: And instead of saying what's wrong that I'm not there yet, ask what specific actions or strategies contributed to that success for them.
- 9:25Jennifer Johnson: And then always consider the context when you're comparing yourself to others.
- 9:29Jennifer Johnson: How long have they been in business?
- 9:31Jennifer Johnson: What advantages or resources did they start with?
- 9:34Jennifer Johnson: What market conditions were they operating in?
- 9:37Jennifer Johnson: And what trade-offs did they have to make to get the results?
- 9:40Jennifer Johnson: Instead of your care comparing yourself to the most successful people in your industry, find people who are one or two steps ahead of where you're at right now.
- 9:49Jennifer Johnson: Because those in reality are the most relevant because the gap is smaller and much more achievable.
- 9:58Jennifer Johnson: One of the most powerful ways to use comparison constructively is to treat it as market research and competitive intelligence.
- 10:06Jennifer Johnson: When done systematically, this becomes a strategic tool for understanding your market and identifying opportunities.
- 10:14Jennifer Johnson: Instead of casual, emotion-driven comparisons, conduct a systematic competitor analysis.
- 10:21Jennifer Johnson: Study what others in your space are doing well, where they're falling short, and what gaps exist so that you may be able to fill those.
- 10:29Jennifer Johnson: Create an inventory of best practices that you can observe in your industry.
- 10:35Jennifer Johnson: When you see someone doing something really well, maybe it's their onboarding process or their content strategy, document it and consider how you can adapt it to your business.
- 10:47Jennifer Johnson: Use comparisons to identify gaps in the market that represent opportunities for your business.
- 10:54Jennifer Johnson: And then observe multiple competitors in your industry that can help you identify trends before they become obvious to everyone else.
- 11:03Jennifer Johnson: When used correctly, comparison can be an incredibly powerful motivator.
- 11:08Jennifer Johnson: The key is to learning to channel the emotional energy of comparison into productive action rather than criticism.
- 11:15Jennifer Johnson: When you look at someone else's success, pay attention to your emotional response.
- 11:20Jennifer Johnson: Does it inspire you or does it make you excited for what's possible?
- 11:24Jennifer Johnson: Or does it intimidate you and make you want to give up?
- 11:28Jennifer Johnson: When you feel envious of someone else's success, dig deep into why you're feeling that way.
- 11:33Jennifer Johnson: Is it that their revenue is higher than yours, or is it the lifestyle that they're living, their recognition, their impact, maybe their team or their systems?
- 11:44Jennifer Johnson: So instead of seeing successful people as competitors or sources of comparison, see them as potential mentors or sources of learning.
- 11:54Jennifer Johnson: Even if you never interact with them directly, you can learn from their content, their strategies, and their approach.
- 12:00Jennifer Johnson: That mindset shift transforms comparison from a source of competition into a source of education and guidance.
- 12:08Jennifer Johnson: One of the best ways to reduce this destructive comparison is to develop your own definition of success and your own metrics for measuring that.
- 12:17Jennifer Johnson: When you're clear about that, it becomes easier to stay focused on your own journey and put those blinders on rather than always being distracted by the achievements of others.
- 12:28Jennifer Johnson: And even doing a progress journal, keeping a journal of your own wins and your own growth is something that you can look back at and see how far you've come.
- 12:37Jennifer Johnson: Remember that everybody's entrepreneurial journey is very unique.
- 12:40Jennifer Johnson: It's different.
- 12:41Jennifer Johnson: Your background and resources and marketing, so many different things are different for every single person.
- 12:48Jennifer Johnson: Not one is created equal.
- 12:51Jennifer Johnson: So work on developing the fact that there's enough success and opportunity to go around.
- 12:57Jennifer Johnson: And when you believe that, you will start noticing there's a certain change and a shift in how your mind is thinking.
- 13:04Jennifer Johnson: You can also regularly audit what and how you're comparing.
- 13:09Jennifer Johnson: What content are you consuming?
- 13:11Jennifer Johnson: What social media accounts are you following?
- 13:13Jennifer Johnson: What conversations are you having?
- 13:16Jennifer Johnson: When you catch yourself comparing, immediately ask, what can I learn from this?
- 13:20Jennifer Johnson: This simple question shifts your brain from judgment to learning.
- 13:24Jennifer Johnson: And it helps you extract the value from what you're comparing yourself to.
- 13:30Jennifer Johnson: One of those valuable applications of comparison is using it to understand and refine your strategic positioning.
- 13:37Jennifer Johnson: So systematic comparison of competitors will help you identify what's making that difference and how they're positioning themselves.
- 13:46Jennifer Johnson: Maybe you could find a way to position yourself that's a little bit different.
- 13:49Jennifer Johnson: It can also help you figure out where there's a gap in services.
- 13:53Jennifer Johnson: Maybe if everyone is competing on price, maybe that leaves room for you to find a premium offering for them.
- 14:01Jennifer Johnson: Or maybe everyone is focused on large clients, which leads the small businesses underserved.
- 14:06Jennifer Johnson: And that can be the market niche that you scooch right on in on.
- 14:11Jennifer Johnson: Sometimes comparison reveals legitimate areas where you really need to improve and adapt or change.
- 14:18Jennifer Johnson: But the difference is distinguishing between the comparisons that motivate you to make those changes and ones that just make you feel bad.
- 14:26Jennifer Johnson: You can do a performance performance gap analysis, which is looking at the offerings of everybody and seeing if there's a gap in there that you can slide into.
- 14:37Jennifer Johnson: And also market evolution.
- 14:40Jennifer Johnson: Is the market changing?
- 14:41Jennifer Johnson: And is there a way that you can identify that through what other people are doing?
- 14:47Jennifer Johnson: So as we wrap up our episode today, I want to remind you that use comparison as a tool.
- 14:53Jennifer Johnson: And like any tool, its value depends on how you use it.
- 14:56Jennifer Johnson: Use it destructively, comparison can undermine your confidence.
- 15:01Jennifer Johnson: It can derail your focus and steal your joy.
- 15:04Jennifer Johnson: Used strategically, comparison can provide valuable market intelligence, inspire bigger goals, and accelerate your learning and growth.